Human
by Shipperwolf
Summary: "Have the mortals become deranged?"...Jane finds herself teaching the ins and outs of Halloween to Loki Laufeyson, and has a revelation concerning his nature in the process. Oneshot, Avenger-verse.


**Hey folks!**

It's October people, and you know what that means: HALLOWEEN! ^.^

I can't say that I've ever written a Halloween fic before, and I really wanted to, sooo...

Here ya go!

It's a little random and maybe a bit silly (and _possibly_ sugary as well, but...hey, Halloween is all about the sweets ;))...I hope you guys enjoy it!

As always, I own nothing related to Thor in any way!

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><p>She dumped another super-sized bag of mini-Snickers into the bright orange bowl, reaching in to mix the little wrapped chocolates amongst the others.<p>

Jane smiled and nodded to herself.

Surely, she had enough candy. The little desert town didn't have _that_ many trick-or-treaters.

Night had fallen just recently, bringing forth the start of one of her favorite holidays. But tonight was something of a somber one, as well.

It would be her last night in Puente Antiguo.

Sighing, she looked around her little trailer, taking in the assortment of packed travel luggage and overstuffed trash bags. For once, her little home was spotless.

Tomorrow, she would be upgrading to something bigger and better.

And many miles away.

Nick Fury had been kind enough to offer funding for her continued research, but insisted on selecting the location in which said research would take place.

He had chosen to set her up in Texas.

Jane shrugged to herself. It wouldn't be too very different from New Mexico as far as the natural environment, but….

She had grown to like her little town: the calm atmosphere, the quaint shops, the kind people…

Erik.

Darcy.

A half-hearted smile crossed her lips.

Maybe she could pack _them_ up as well.

Voices and laughter caught her ears and Jane shook the negativity away; it was a night of fun for Puente Antiguo, and she certainly did not want to be the downer.

Especially not with Thor and the Avengers in town.

A true smile graced her lips then, and she peered through one of her tiny windows to look out at the distant forms of the not-so-secret super-team SHIELD had put together to fight off the threat of Thor's brother.

The Avengers pranced about the town in full regalia, comparing their weapons and outfits to those worn by their young admirers. She could just barely make out Tony Stark in his suit, posing with a mini-Iron Man perched on his shoulder as someone snapped a photo.

Shaking her head, Jane made her way to her bed and proceeded to unceremoniously flop down onto the mattress.

Thor was getting an introduction to the holiday courtesy of his teammates, and although she had been invited to tag along, she'd insisted on staying put in order to pass out candy to any children that might find their way to her end of town.

And to finish packing away her clothes, of course.

Staring upward towards one of the windows, she decided the packing could wait…

A knocking sound thudded suddenly through the trailer.

But apparently, candy-hungry children could not.

Jane lay still for a moment and wondered how many of the kids at her door would be wielding little plastic Mjolnirs.

"I am _completely_ baffled, Jane Foster."

A low, familiar voice sent her skin rippling and muscles jumping as she sat up from bed to stare wide-eyed at her kitchenette.

The first thing she noticed was the fact that he was half-sitting on her countertop, eyeing the box of Pop-Tarts he had knocked to the floor.

The second was that he was in normal clothing. The golden horns were absent and his hair was still long, fraying out slightly and in obvious need of a trim. A dark jacket covered what looked to be a normal white t-shirt, and black jeans completed an almost biker-like look.

Jane shook her head in disbelief.

Loki Laufeyson was in her trailer.

And he looked like he owned a Harley.

She swallowed and remained still, watching as he casually bent down to pick up the box his foot had been fiddling with and set it back onto the counter beside him. His eyes roamed her home almost curiously, pausing at her luggage for a moment before finally settling on her.

When his eyes met her own, she saw something in them she never thought she would: confusion.

Jane tilted her head at him, the hairs on her arms standing on end. Thor had not mentioned that Loki was still on Earth following his defeat. She made a mental note to confront him about that later.

Green eyes held hers and Jane forgot to breathe until he spoke.

"Have the mortals become deranged?"

Jane blinked at him in a shocked stupor.

_**What**__ now?_

"I….um…what?"

She watched as the adopted son of Odin tilted his head and pinned her with a look that she could only describe as deep disappointment.

"Now, Miss Foster….I was under the impression that you were among the most intelligent of your pathetic species. Surely you can summon enough coherence to explain to me why children are running about with bloody faces and monstrous features."

Something struck Jane in the gut, threatening to bubble up into her chest and spill forth from her mouth in the form of laughter.

Her eyes wanted to water at the lost, almost angry look on Loki's face when she grinned and shook her head.

The one-time "Conqueror of Midgaard" sat dazed and confused in her trailer, struggling to understand the concept of Halloween. If she weren't so terrified that he may take out his frustration on her, she would have practically _cackled_ at him.

Instead, Jane stood slowly, and nodded towards the windows.

"It's not real blood. It's fake. The kids are in costume. For Halloween."

Sliding from his perch, the traitorous prince took a few short steps towards her, his head bending down at her slightly. Jane inclined her own to keep contact with his eyes.

She realized with a start that he was almost as tall as Thor.

"And _what_, exactly, is 'Halloween'?"

Fiddling with a sweater-sleeve, she darted her eyes toward the window for just moment, gauging the distance of the Avengers from her home. The group was moving away, it seemed, flanked by a small posse of tiny fans.

Jane wondered -if Loki decided to try and harm her, would she be able to scream loud enough for Thor to hear?

A shadow cast itself over her then, and she looked away from the window to find Loki looming just a few short feet away, peering down at her curiously, and somewhat impatiently.

Halloween. Right.

"Ah…well, it's a holiday. A special day of the year when children dress up in costume and go to people's houses asking for candy. It's also a night for causing mischief and scaring people."

Jane watched in sudden horror as one of Loki's eyebrows shot upward.

She _had_ to mention the mischief….

Dark hair slid past a shoulder as he leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing and making her stomach tighten in something akin to fear, but not quite there.

When he spoke, Jane found herself surprised at the change in his tone.

"Scaring people….how so? The false blood and animalistic costumes?" His tone had lowered slightly, but also softened in a way that Jane had not expected. It was very close to being a whisper.

Jane felt her own eyebrows rise at him slightly.

"Yeah, pretty much. It's….fun. For the kids. And sometimes for adults, too."

Loki nodded in silence, his eyes darting to the side as if pondering something important.

And then he took a step back, away from her.

Jane felt herself move forward, and started slightly at the realization that she was unconsciously trying to follow him.

She watched as Loki stepped back again, into the light surrounding her kitchenette.

His hands came forward suddenly, moving over one another in front of him.

Jane felt energy crackle in the air of the trailer and knew, _knew_, that this was the moment she should have seen coming.

He had his answer, and now he was going to kill her.

A flash of light produced something in his hands. She recognized it from the now extensive file SHIELD had compiled on Loki when he had tried to take over the world.

The Casket of Jotunheim.

It hummed in the tiny space between them, dark shadows dancing slowly and yet viciously within its walls.

Jane stared at it, captivated.

And then noticed the deep blue color that seemed to seep from the weapon and into the skin of its wielder. Faster it crept, the dark midnight blue chasing away the paste-white pallor up his wrists, and as Jane let her eyes wander, she saw it appear on his neck above the line of his shirt.

Within seconds Loki's face had changed, dark, almost black symbols appearing on his head, and his eyes….

Blazing red and wild and terrifying.

Jane felt her heart beating in her ears, and swallowed thickly as she took in the dark prince in his native form.

With a swift movement of his hands, the Casket disappeared suddenly, leaving Loki standing blue and black and _so very _obviously alien.

When he smirked sardonically at her, she could see the glint of a sharp fang.

"Now…would I not just fit _right _in amidst the mortals tonight?"

Even as he spoke the blue color was fading from his fingers. Jane watched his eyes draw away from hers and fall to the wall behind her. His lips had tightened and she could practically _feel_ the cynicism emanating from him.

Jane felt her heart skip a beat as she suddenly registered the fact that Loki seemed conflicted.

Lonely. Sad.

_Human._

She sucked in a sharp breath and attempted a small chuckle of agreement as she observed the strange patterns on his face begin to lighten and fade.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that would scare some children. Might have some of the parents suspecting who you are, too…." She trailed off and eyed him pointedly, hoping he would understand the fact that she was more or less _warning _him.

As the flawless white of his skin re-emerged on his neck and made its way to his chin, Loki nodded at her once before turning away slightly.

Jane felt he was preparing to leave.

She wondered if he would do so without taking her life first.

A series of knocks erupted suddenly from the front of the trailer. Jane watched as Loki jerked visibly, and the sounds of laughter and little voices could be heard from the other side of her door.

Jane met the startled gaze of the immortal in her home.

"Stand back and watch, okay?" She did not know why she was inviting him to observe the tradition instead of just letting him depart; she felt sure that if he were spotted by Thor or the others, Loki's current amiable disposition could quickly turn violent.

But the words spilled forth from her lips before she could stop them, and Loki had in turn nodded slightly and stood to the side of the door, out of sight of those on the other side, but granting him at least some view of the kids that stood waiting.

Jane felt a smile threaten her.

His expression was so damned curious that it was almost adorable.

Snatching the bowl of candy in one hand, she opened the door with a wide grin.

"_Trick or treat!_" At least five voices shouted excitedly at once, and Jane laughed at the random assortment of costumed children.

A girl dressed as a princess. Two boys dressed as a vampire and werewolf. One sporting the red, white and blue of Captain America, complete with a plastic shield…

And then, in the back of the group, a tiny pair of horns.

A little boy dressed as Loki, a rather impressive makeshift staff in his hand.

Jane could not help it….she smiled at him.

As she passed out the candy she made sure to compliment each outfit, gaining several 'intimidating' growls from the little werewolf, a shy 'thank you' from the princess, and lots of laughing and posing from the mini-Cap.

The quiet boy in the back stepped forward, pumpkin-shaped candy bowl extended.

From the corner of her eyes she could see Loki shift in his hiding spot, eyes wide and unmoving as he looked at the boy.

Jane bent down slightly and smiled at the little prince.

"And who are you supposed to be?" She knew, of course, but the boy had been so silent amidst the others that she wanted to at least attempt to get him to speak.

He smiled at her then, brandishing his staff at her.

"Loki, Thor's nemesis!" He leaned in at her, his voice growing quiet and eyes sparkling in the light of her trailer. An eyebrow jerked up at her matter-of-factly. "I'm a super-villain, you know."

Jane felt her cheeks begin to _ache_ from the power of her smile.

Behind her, Loki had stiffened and she swore she could hear his heart beating in his chest.

"_Of course!_ So, did the _real_ Thor see your costume?"

The little boy smiled and nodded excitedly.

"And what did he think?"

Hazel-colored eyes met hers, and tiny hands gripped his staff tight.

"He told me I reminded him of the real Loki, when he was my age! Cool, right?"

The stiff body behind her jumped slightly and she heard him exhale, as if he had been holding his breath.

Jane placed a few pieces of chocolate in the boy's bowl and nodded at him.

"Yeah, that _is_ pretty cool. You know, even though Loki's done some nasty stuff, Thor still thinks the world of him. He probably thought your costume was really neat."

The mini-Loki beamed at her and then shrunk back into the group, becoming distracted by his Captain America-themed friend. Beside her, the real Loki stood frozen, and although she wasn't looking at him, she knew he was staring into her intensely.

She waved at the group of kids as they ran off, little Loki's staff clashing against the plastic shield of his friend.

In the distance, she could make out the forms of the real Avengers, Iron Man in front, walking backwards and doing a terrible demonstration of 'the robot' that had the entire group in a state of hysterical amusement.

Jane closed her door and stiffened as warmth suddenly radiated from behind.

Loki had come to stand mere inches away, so close that she could feel his chest move as he inhaled.

Hot breath met her ear, smelling strangely of mint and chocolate.

She stood stock still as he whispered, soft and calm and surprisingly genuine:

"_Thank you_, Jane Foster."

The warmth disappeared then, and she whipped around to find her trailer suddenly empty. Loki had vanished, leaving nothing but slight remnants of static in the air from his magic.

And an empty wrapper from a chocolate-covered mint on her countertop.

Jane blinked at it, a smile creeping across her face.

As the familiar voice of Tony Stark grew closer, standing out among the chatter and laughter of his team, Jane could not help but flush slightly and finger the empty wrapper in her hand.

On a night consumed by monsters and ghouls, the dark prince of Jotunheim had seemed surprisingly human.

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><p><strong>I like treats.<strong> I can haz reviews instead of candy? ^.^

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><p><strong>Quick author ramble: <strong>A new LJ community has been created by **JayNovz**, centering on the Loki/Jane ship! Take a look at my profile for more information! ^.^


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